Lithuania

BRUSSELS, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Lithuania's hopes of being allowed to extend the life of its Ignalina nuclear power plant were dashed on Wednesday by the European Commission.

In its treaty on joining the European Union in 2004, Lithuania promised to shut by the end of 2009 the second reactor at the plant, which is similar to Ukraine's Chernobyl facility where the world's worst nuclear disaster struck in 1986.

WARSAW, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Poland needs to build between 1,500 and 2,000 megawatts a year of new power capacity to keep up with growing demand, an adviser to the economy minister said on Wednesday.
The country, which needs to increase capacity quickly to make up for years of abandoning investments and plant renovations, would be interested in building natural-gas fired plants, Joanna Strzelec-Lobodzinska said.
"The estimates show Poland needs to create between 1,500 and 2,000 MW in new capacities to keep up with growing demand and replace outdated technologies," Lobodzinska told reporters.

(DRUSKININKAI) - Belarus plans to build a new nuclear power plant by 2015 that could possibly export energy to neighbour Lithuanuia, Belarus Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky said Tuesday in Lithuania.

"We are going to build the first block by 2015. We spoke with Lithuanian energy specialists about the possibility of supplying part of the electricity produced in this power plant to Lithuania," said Sidorsky after talks with Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas in Lithuania's resort town of Druskininkai, near the Belarus border.

The main Lithuania"s electricity producer Ignalina nuclear power plant (AE) is stopped for a two-month scheduled repair. One generator of Ignalina AE second block will be stopped on July 29, and the entire block – on August 2.

A number of countries in central, eastern and southeastern Europe plan to build new nuclear power reactors or extend the life of existing ones to meet growing domestic demand and replace ageing power capacity.

The plans mirror a worldwide nuclear boom as part of the solution to climate change.

VILNIUS, July 25 (Reuters) - Energy companies in the three Baltic states and Poland agreed on Friday to set up a joint venture to develop a nuclear power plant in Lithuania, the Lithuanian partner said.
The four countries have been negotiatng on the project for months and hammered out a deal on Friday in Copenhagen.

"The partners have agreed to Lithuania's proposal to establish a joint project development company, in which LEO LT would hold a 51 percent stake," Lithuania's LEO LT said in a statement after a meeting.
Lithuania has said it wants to build a 3,200-3,400 megawatt nuclear power plant to replace its Soviet-era Ignalina nuclear facility, due to be shut down at the end of next year.

At present, Ignalina nuclear power plant buys the nuclear fuel for about 80% higher price than over the previous year. Network distribution companies are also preparing plans for raising prices. Ignalina nuclear power plant intends to present the request to the State Control Commission for Prices and Energy until October 2008 on the increase of the sale price for the produced electricity.

"We will ask to increase prices because of the price growth for nuclear fuel – this is our main argument, and of course, inflation. Currently I cannot say what exactly will be the increase of price we will ask for but there are no doubts that we will ask," Director of Ignalina nuclear power plant Viktoras Sevaldinas spoke for the daily Respublika about new predicted prices.

VILNIUS, July 14 (Reuters) - Lithuania's parliament voted on Monday to hold a non-binding referendum on extending the life of its Soviet-era nuclear power plant, despite a promise to the European Union that it will be shut down in 2009.

The parliamentary press service said 88 of 141 lawmakers had voted to hold the referendum on Oct. 12, the same day as a general election. Five voted against and 11 abstained.